Last year I wrote about the dilemmas of having one sewing needle per village or town- but ladies and gents-that was the size of it. Lose it? You would probably be shunned all over the county. Here is some more details about those sewing needles.

Perth Courier—June 9th 1899

According to an old resident of Fitzroy, at one time, when that locality was first settled by pioneers, there was but one darning needle in the whole county and not another procurable in the whole county nearer than Perth, 50 miles away.

That needle was a public possession, nearly twenty different housewives depended upon it for coarse sewing and mending and each separate household had the use of it for one day every three weeks. Upon one occasion the woman having temporary use of the needle stuck it in a holder in the apron pocket and set off on a long journey to the grist mill riding with her bag of grain on horse back.

The road was rough and the needle jolted out. It was a public calamity and women and children went out to search the forest for the needle. The task seemed hopeless but at length a small girl spied the treasure and old Fitzroy turned out to rejoice. We can scarcely realize such privation now though no doubt our pioneer grandmothers could tell us many a strange story of similar lack of actual necessities. –Almonte Times